


A Long Morning

by Buckybeardreams



Series: The Classifieds [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Baby!Loki, Baby!Peter, Baby!Tony, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Daddy!Wade, Diapers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Fluff, Fluff, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Jealousy, Little!Bruce, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Not Canon Compliant, Platonic Cuddling, Sam Wilson Needs a Hug, Sharing a Bed, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Toddler!Clint, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, caregiver!Sam, daddy!Phil, little!Natasha, toddler!bucky, toddler!steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:01:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26171632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Buckybeardreams/pseuds/Buckybeardreams
Summary: Sam struggles with what to do about Tony, while worrying about the consequences it will have on his boys and Steve and Bucky feel jealous.Edited 2/7/2021
Relationships: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton & Phil Coulson, James "Bucky" Barnes & Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Wade Wilson, Steve Rogers & Sam Wilson, Tony Stark & Sam Wilson
Series: The Classifieds [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1898527
Comments: 10
Kudos: 202





	A Long Morning

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place directly following the first story, and explores Sam's feelings about Steve's Caregiver tendencies, and his concerns over what his boys went through and what this might mean for them.

Sam woke up to the sounds of whimpers. He looked over to see Steve squirming on the bed. Steve's eyes were wide open, distress evident on his scrunched up face. Tony and Bucky were cuddled up on either side of him, clinging to him, and Sam sighed. Steve was struggling to free himself from their grips and tangled limbs. Both of his boys struggled with codependency, and separating them proved to be a challenge at times, particularly when it came to pulling Bucky away from Steve. He just hoped that tony wouldn't prove to be quite so stubborn, since the baby had clearly gotten attached to the older Littles, which definitely concerned Sam. He just wasn't quite sure how attached they had become or what that would mean for his boys, or Tony.

"Hey kiddo, got to go potty?" Sam asked knowingly. Steve whimpered, nodding his head frantically. "Here, let me help you."

Sam helped pry the clutching fingers off of the young boy. When he was finally free, he shot out of bed and raced to the bathroom. Sam brushed Bucky's hair out of his eyes, relishing the calm that came with sleeping Littles. Life as a Caregiver to two Littles tended to be loud and chaotic, but Sam wouldn't give it up for anything. He couldn't say that he loved dealing with tantrums and crying, but he knew for certain that he loved his little boys to the moon and back. Sam smiled softly when Bucky yawned, and reached his arms out in his sleep looking for Steve. His hand collided with Tony's and he scooched closer, seeking out the warmth of another body. It was something Sam had seen him do before, since Bucky and Steve were pretty much inseparable when they were sleeping. When they were Little, the two boys always seemed to be together, though their schedules were almost the complete opposite, Steve being big most of the time, and Bucky being Little. They still managed to spend most of their time together. Sam's heart melted when Tony nuzzled into Bucky, and Bucky threw his arm over Tony to pull him closer, both boys still sound asleep. Tony sure was a cute baby. He was sucking on his thumb in his sleep, and his other hand was now clutching at Bucky's pyjama top.

"Sammy!" Steve called from the bathroom.

Sam got up, thinking he probably knew what had happened. Steve was distraught when Sam entered the bathroom.

"I'm sowwy, Sammy." Steve sobbed, collapsing into Sam's arms.

"Hey, it's okay, buddy. It was just an accident, nothing to apologize for. Let's get you a clean one, okay?" Sam spoke gently.

Steve always got upset when he had accidents. The kid didn't like causing problems and no matter how many times Sam told him that he didn't mind helping him and there was nothing wrong with having an accident, Steve just didn't seem convinced.

"Okay." Steve said sadly. He was still sniffling as Steve helped him into a new pull up. His hand was inching towards his mouth and Sam was quick to snatch it.

"Let's wash your hands first, hm?" Steve blushed, but nodded his head in agreement.

He waited until Steve had washed and dried his hands, before guiding him out of the bathroom.

"Let's go check on the sleepers." Sam suggested, taking Steve by the hand.

Steve blinked at the sight of Bucky and Tony curled up together on the bed. He frowned and his free hand landed in his mouth and Sam couldn't keep the frown from forming on his own face.

"W'nna wake, Bucky." Steve mumbled around his fingers.

Sam wanted to tell him no, since Bucky needed his sleep, plus Sam had a feeling that Tony would wake up, and Tony could definitely use the sleep, on the other hand Sam did want to get home though. The sooner he got them up and fed, the sooner he could take his boys back home and he was eager to get them back to a space where they felt comfortable and safe. So he just nodded and let go of Steve's hand. Steve slipped the fingers out of his mouth, so he could crawl across the bed. Sitting on his knees, he shook Bucky lightly.

"Bucky, wake up." Bucky grumbled, batting Steve's hands away in his sleep.

Steve huffed, sounding annoyed and pouted, whining when Bucky's arm tightened around Tony's waist. The sleeping boys were practically chest to chest now, and Steve's jealousy was practically visible, hanging in the air, heavy and tense. Steve huffed again and crossed his arms.

"Get up!" Steve hollered meanly and Sam hurried forward to snatch the Little off the bed.

"Shh, Stevie, not so loud. That's not a very nice way to wake someone up." Sam admonished. It was definitely effective though. Bucky was whimpering and stirring in his sleep. Tony's eyes were still shut, but tears were forming in the corners and he was starting to sob. Bucky blinked his eyes open, and looked confused as he saw Tony. He shoved away from Tony, making the baby cry harder. His gaze searched the room until it landed on Sam and Steve, his arms came up and he made grabby hands towards them. Before Sam could react, Steve was pushing out of his arms and barreling into Bucky, knocking the Little over. Sam didn't intervene, because Bucky just squealed in delight, their arms wrapping around each other, and their legs tangling together.

"Bucky!"

"Stevie!" Sam couldn't help but smile at their antics.

It wasn't an unusual site, but their adorableness never got old. Sam was quick to scoop the squirmy baby up off the bed, who calmed instantly. Tony yawned around his thumb, and nuzzled into Sam, who ran a hand through his curls and bounced him a couple of times.

"Hi, Tony. Good morning, little one." Sam cooed. "Let's get you some clean pants and a bottle, hm?"

From what Bruce had said last night, Tony hadn't eaten any food, which definitely concerned Sam. Luckily, he was willing to take a bottle. Sam knew he couldn't just drink milk, but it would have to do for now. Maybe he could coax him into eating some yogurt with it.

"How does waffles sound for breakfast, kiddos?" Sam asked the Littles snuggled up together on the bed and Steve's head popped up instantly.

"Waffles?"

"Yup. Let's get a move on. I'm gonna change Tony really quick and then we can head down. Buck, why don't you try go potty, bud."

Bucky flushed, and squirmed in Steve's arms. The Little hid his face in the crook of Steve's neck and Steve smiled at him, pressing a kiss to his hair.

"I dink he aweady went, Sammy." Steve whispered not so quietly. Bucky whined at his words and squirmed more. "Shh, s'okay, s'okay. I wight hewe, baby."

Bucky pouted, but he didn't correct Steve. Anytime Sam slipped up and called Bucky a baby, he called Sam out on it. He would always insist that he was a big boy. When Steve did it though, Bucky never corrected him. Sam couldn't be sure if that was because Steve referred to him as baby when they were Big, or not, but it was either that, or the fact that Bucky had been Steve's baby before he was Sam's Little, most likely it was some combination of both.

"No worries. I'll help you out, bud. Just give me a moment." Sam replied easily.

He didn't mind changing his boys, Sam would help them in anyway they needed. He was more concerned about the way Steve seemed to be reverting back to a Caregiver. Steve had spent many years caring for Bucky, and Sam had worked really hard to get him to relax. When Sam first became their Caregiver, Steve had struggled to let go. He was so used to doing everything Bucky needed for him and helping him out, that Sam had a hard time convincing him it was okay to just be Little. It had taken sometime, but eventually Steve started letting Sam be the parent and the little boy was relieved to finally just be a kid.

Steve was still sweet and caring, but that was just the boys nature. He still wanted to help out, but more in the way a big brother would, which Sam was glad about. Sam had gotten them to the point where instead of Steve insisting to make food for Bucky and feed him, he would play peekaboo with him while Sam worked in the kitchen and then talk up a storm through the meal. He played with Bucky, and when Bucky needed something, Steve would seek out Sam. That was just the way Sam wanted it. Of course Sam would never stop Steve from hugging an upset Bucky, or bringing him his stuffie before bed. He wasn't trying to separate the two, and he understood just how close they were. He did try hard to limit how much Steve felt like he had to do for the younger Little and Sam definitely didn't want to lose any of that progress. It was probably inevitable to have a little bit of a setback after the disaster that was yesterday, but Sam was hoping that he could minimize the damage.

He had been nervous when he dropped them off, but he never expected Tony to be a baby. He didn't blame Tony, but he was miffed that his Littles had to suffer, because Tony didn't want to be outed as a Little. There was nothing wrong with being a Little, so Sam didn't really understand why Tony had kept it a secret, and he was concerned, because it had led to his boys, and the other Littles, Tony included, having a really rough time. Sam couldn't change that now, no matter how much he wanted to, he would just have to deal with the aftermath. He just really hoped there wouldn't be any long term consequences from it. Sam laid Tony down on the bed and grabbed one of the diapers that he'd snagged from Loki's bag the night before, and a pack of wipes out of Bucky's bag. Loki usually wore pull ups, but when he was really Little he wore diapers. Tony whined when Sam pulled his bottoms down, and sucked harder on his thumb, his free hand reaching up to his hair, and his finger twirling the dark strands. Sam cooed down at the adorable baby who smiled up at him, but Steve whined making Sam look up at him.

"What's wrong, Stevie?"

Steve was sitting up now, Bucky curled up in his lap, glaring down at Tony and Sam sighed. Steve wasn't usually jealous, but Sam figured it was hard for him to share his Caregiver when they'd never even talked about a baby before. Sam had never considered getting another Little, and Tony being a baby had certainly never occurred to him. So, of course this wasn't something any of them were prepared for. Sam wasn't sure what he was going to do. He had a feeling that bringing the baby home wouldn't go over so well. Not to mention, Sam didn't even know Tony that well, so there was a good chance that Tony might not even want Sam to take care of him. Tony definitely couldn't be left alone, but maybe Phil would take him in. Phil and his wife, were really good with Littles and he knew Tony better, since Stark Industries worked with the agency sometimes. Sam did feel bad about not taking him, especially since Tony had clearly formed some kind of bond with Steve, the last thing he wanted was for Tony to feel like he wasn't wanted. He couldn't do anything to jeopardize his own Littles though, and taking on a baby was a lot. Sam couldn't deny that it would change everything. He just wasn't sure if he could handle another Little, let alone one that was a baby. He already felt that half the time he was doing something wrong with the two boys he had now.

"Why don't you go check on the others?" Sam suggested. "Wade and the babies are across the hall, and Phil has his Littles in the room next door."

Steve huffed, but nodded his head. Bucky whined, gripping onto Steve as he squirmed off the bed. Steve set him on the ground, but snatched up his hand.

"Um, kiddo, I still need to change him. Why don't you leave Bucky here?" Sam knew he'd said the wrong thing the moment Steve narrowed his eyes at him.

His hand tightened around Bucky's, his other one bawling up into a fist.

"No! I won't weave 'im behind. He's mine." Steve insisted with as stern a look on his face as the Little could pull off.

Yeah, that was definitely going to be an issue, Sam could already tell, he just hoped it was only a temporary setback. Bucky just beamed at Steve and Steve grinned right back at him.

"'M no' e'er gonna weave ya, Buck." Steve reassured him. "Come on, le' go find Clint."

Sam sighed, letting him tow Bucky behind him as he left. It wasn't worth fighting it right now, but Sam was not okay with it. He needed his boys to feel safe enough to at the very least be in different rooms. Steve had gotten really good at trusting Sam to keep Bucky safe and he really didn't want to go back to the days where they refused to leave each others sides, in a very literal way. As it was, they already chose to spend almost all of their time together, Big or Little. Sam didn't need them attached at the hip any more than usual. Sam sighed, turning his attention back to the baby on the bed. Tony was blinking up at him, seeming oblivious to the tension in the air and Sam wondered how much he was picking up on right now, if any of it. He certainly hoped he was as oblivious as he looked.

"Let's get this icky thing off of you." Sam made quick work of diapering Tony. The baby squirmed when Sam wiped him, but didn't do more than whimper a little. "Shh, it's okay. There you go nice and clean."

Sam taped up the new diaper, and pulled his pants back up over his bum, and tickled his belly, happy when Tony giggled.

"Come on, baby. Let's go find the others." Sam peeked his head into the room across the hall, finding Wade getting Loki dressed.

Peter was sucking on a paci, hugging his Winnie the Pooh stuffie to his chest. Sam was pretty sure that it was one of many gifts that Tony had showered him with. Tony had developed a soft spot for the teen. They'd originally met while Tony was judging a robotics tournament, Peter performing in the eleven to thirteen age category. Sam wasn't there for it, but from what he'd heard from Wade, Tony was impressed by Peter almost immediately and by the end of the weekend had offered him an internship at Stark Industries. Peter had since turned fourteen and began his internship the summer before his freshman year. Tony was constantly giving the kid things, most recently he'd given Peter his own floor and his own lab at the tower. Sam couldn't help but think it was a bit over the top, but Tony was known among their friend group for being both generous with his money and for throwing it away like it meant nothing, though when you had as much as Tony did it didn't mean all that much to spend a couple million here or there. When Steve asked about it, absolutely appalled to hear just how much Tony had spent decking out Peter's lab, Tony just shrugged and said it was worth it to see the boy grin up at him. Sam was pretty sure that alone disproved the many awful things that people liked to say about Tony Stark.

"Hey, Petey, how are you doing, bud?" Sam asked.

Peter squealed, pointing excitedly at Tony, and Tony smiled back, waving shyly, before ducking his head and smooching his face into Sam's shoulder. Wade glanced up at his baby with a smile, before cooing at Tony and nodding at Sam.

"Morning. We're just about to head downstairs. How's this little guy doing?" Wade asked.

"He's alright. How's Lolo?"

Wade frowned slightly, giving the baby a sad look.

"He seems happy enough now, but he was pretty weepy last night. I feel bad for him, for all of them really. Thor called this morning to check in, and I didn't want to admit what had happened, so I kinda fibbed a bit."

Sam nodded in understanding, and Loki looked up in interest at the mention of his daddy.

"Well, I've gotta find my boys, and change Buck, than we'll join you guys."

Wade nodded, turning his focus back to Loki. Sam could hear Steve talking as he approached the room next door. He smiled at the sound.

"Yeah, I gotta have _two_ cookies, Sammy said I's so good. Don' e'er wanna go back do', d octo's no fun."

"Oh yeah? Even if you get cookies after?" Phil asked amused.

"Nope. Sammy'll make me cookies." Steve informed his uncle.

Sam chuckled at that. That was the happy, talkative boy he was used to.

"Good to know." Phil responded, ruffling his hair. Clint and Bucky were comparing their PJs, pointing out all the different animals and shapes. Bruce stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed, and Tasha bounded off the bed. The Little skipped her way into the bathroom, a pile of clothes in her arms and Sam was glad to see they were okay.

"How are you doing, Brucie?" Sam asked gently.

He'd never seen Bruce as upset as he was yesterday when they arrived.

"I'm good, a bit hungry."

"I'm glad to here it, bud. I'm gonna make some waffles. Does that sound good to you?"

Bruce smiled and nodded his head.

"I want strawberries and whipped cream on mine." Tasha hollered from behind the closed bathroom door.

Phil and Sam both laughed, sharing a look and shaking their heads. That kid. She was really something.

"Do you think you can keep an eye on Tony, while I get Bucky changed?" Sam asked Phil.

"Of course. Pass him here."

Sam handed off the baby, and Tony whined, but settled once he was in Phil's lap. Phil cooed at him. Tony reached for Steve when he saw the boy sitting next to him. Steve recoiled from his touch, launching himself off the bed. Sam's eyes widened in surprise as Steve hurtled himself at his Caregiver. Phil bounced Tony on his knee, who had started crying. Sam was quick to scoop Steve into his arms. It wasn't very often that Steve wanted to be held. He usually insisted that he was a big boy and that only babies were carried around. Yet, the boy wrapped his arms tightly around Sam's neck, and his legs wrapped around his waist. Sam rubbed his back, pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

"I've gotcha, Stevie. Don't worry." Sam soothed the Little. "Come on, Bucky."

Phil had distracted Tony with a toy, and Clint was patting his head. Sam smiled, relieved that the baby was being cared for, and more than a little concerned that he was going to get too attached to him. Bucky whined about wanting to stay with Clint, but accepted Sam's outstretched hand. Sam was glad, because he found it near in possible to get the stubborn toddler to do something he didn't want to do. Steve was much more easy going than Bucky, at least, he usually was. Right now was a bad example, as he whined, reluctant to let go of Sam, but he let himself be set on the bed despite his complaints. Sam wasn't surprised when he jumped up and followed them into the bathroom. Steve stood in the doorway, with his fingers stuffed in his mouth, a nervous habit that Sam thought Steve had outgrown, but clearly was resurfacing. Sam helped Bucky out of his wet pull-up and into a clean one, grabbing them each a clean set of clothes from the room, and returning to find Steve pulling Bucky's shirt off. He tossed it aside, and held his hand out expectantly. Instead of commenting on it, Sam just handed Steve his own clothes. It wasn't that Sam thought it was the end of the world for Steve to help out Bucky, but it did make him a little anxious. He was worried that this meant Steve might be reverting back to old habits that the Little had worked hard to over come over the past few years. Steve went to slip the shirt over Bucky's head, but paused when he saw the super why logo on it. Super why and PJ masks were Steve's two favorite shows. Steve tilted his head, a slight frown on his face.

"Dis is mine, Sammy." Steve said, trying to hand the shirt back.

"I know, bud. Do you want me to help you put it on?" Sam said, pretending that he didn't know Steve had been expecting to be handed Bucky's clothes.

Steve's frown deepened, looking at the shirt. He glanced at Bucky standing in just a pull up, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Sam quickly pulled Bucky's shirt over his head, before Steve could say anything, helping him find his sleeve holes. Steve was still frowning, but seemed to get the message as Sam held up Bucky's pants for him to step into, because Steve didn't try to stop Sam or complain about it. Bucky didn't seem concerned about Sam helping him, he was used to it, but the fact that he was so willing to be helped made Sam wonder if Bucky was reverting back to old habits, too. It was no secret that Bucky, though not really a baby, had been very babied by Steve, but by the time they found Sam, Bucky was eager to assert his independence and very adamant that he was not a baby. He did tilt his head curiously at Steve when his brother just stood there, looking lost. Sam smiled sympathetically at him, and took the clothes back.

"Let me help you, then we can join the others for some waffles." Sam encouraged.

Steve still looked a little lost, and kept glancing back at Bucky. He helped pull his arms out of the sleeves and let Sam pull the shirt up over his head. Steve bit his lip, as Sam tugged the new shirt over his head and helped him get his arms situated. Steve didn't take the initiative to pull down his own pants, so Sam did it for him. He helped the boy step out of them and into his new ones, and pulled them up. Sam smiled, brushing a hand through Steve's blonde hair.

"Good job, kiddo. Let's go get some food."

He was only mildly surprised when the kid held his arms out to be picked up. Sam scooped him up and grabbed Bucky by the hand. They stopped by the bed to grab Steve's blankie and Bucky's stuffie, before making their way downstairs. The noise drifting up the staircase let Sam know that everyone else had already found there way down. They entered the kitchen to find Wade already working on waffles. Bruce was sitting at the counter playing on his tablet. Natasha and Clint were chasing each other around the spacious kitchen, while Phil sat on the ground rolling a ball with the babies. Peter laughed, excited that the ball had rolled to him, before pushing it back to Phil. Phil rolled the ball to Loki next, and then to Tony, before repeating the pattern. Each baby seemed happy to wait for their turn. Sam, as always, was impressed with the way Phil handled Littles. It seemed so easy for him to get them to cooperate. Natasha and Clint seemed to be the only exceptions to that rule. Phil was definitely wrapped around their fingers, and he tended to let those two run wild. Right now they were literally running, and Sam had to stop them before they crashed right into Bucky.

"Woah! Hold up. It's a little early for chase don't you think?" Sam tried, pulling Clint to a halt before Bucky got knocked over.

"Nuh-uh." Clint said. Natasha just scoffed, rolling her eyes. Yeah, Sam had no idea how Phil put up with these two.

"I think we should sit down. It looks like Wade's serving up the waffles now." Both Littles ignored him, taking off running again, and Sam sighed. So much for that.

"Hey, wild ones! Listen to your uncle or you won't be getting any whipped cream on your waffles." Phil called not even looking up from his game of pass the ball.

Natasha made a point of saying that she didn't have to sit down in order to get whipped cream. Sam was glad when she pulled Clint over to the counter any way. That kid was one of the most stubborn Littles he'd ever met, and he lived with Bucky, so that was saying something. She could be pretty scary when she wanted to be, Big or Little. Sam liked her, but he was glad he wasn't her Caregiver. He thinks he'd lose his mind trying to get her to do the simplest of tasks, though, to be fair, the kid was a spy when she was Big, so she definitely had the whole badass thing down. Then again, half of the Littles Sam knew were spies, and none of them were nearly as terrifying as Natasha.

Sam put Steve down, having them hand over their comfort items before he let Steve and Bucky clamber up on to stools. Sam set the stuffie and blankie on a counter where Clint's and Peter's stuffies were already propped up, leaving them in the line of sight of the boys, but safely out of reach of messy hands. The breakfast bar had enough seating for ten, so there was plenty of space for the older Littles and the Caregivers to line up on the stools with blue cushions and wooden backs. Wade set plates down in front of each kid, the waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream, per Natasha's request. She beamed up at Wade when he set hers down at, and Wade offered her a smile and a wink in return. She giggled accepting a fork before digging in. Sam walked to the fridge sifting around until he found a tub of yogurt, giving each kid a dollop on the side of their plate. Wade was cutting waffles into small bite size pieces for the babies and put a handful of already sliced strawberries on each plate, while Sam scooped yogurt on to each of those plates, as well. Phil stood up, scooping up Tony in his arms. Loki and Peter seemed content to pass the ball back and forth to each other, barely batting an eye as Phil walked over to the counter.

Wade set two plates in front of Phil, one for him, holding a waffle topped with whipped cream, and the other one in small pieces and without whipped cream for Tony. Phil settled the baby onto his lap, feeding him bites in between taking bites of his own breakfast. Sam was glad to see Tony eating something, and he tried to ignore the warm feeling that settled in his chest as the baby made nom nom nom sounds while chewing. Steve and Bucky were having a delightful time making a huge mess of their meal. Their faces were smeared with whipped cream and yogurt and Bucky kept sticking his fingers into the whipped cream to pluck out the strawberries, and pushing them into Steve's hand, who happily accepted the offerings, plopping the berries into his mouth. Sam shook his head, but smiled in spite of himself. Sam helped Wade set out the last four plates, before they turned to grab up the babies on the ground who whined at the interruption. They were happy enough to accept bites of food though.

Clean up was a feat in and of itself. Getting all the Littles wiped down and the plates cleared took longer than Sam would like to admit. Clint and Bucky both required full outfit changes and Steve got a new shirt, which he protested, because Super Why was one of his favorites. When they'd finally finished Sam felt like he was ready for bed, but it wasn't even ten yet. He just hoped his boys would go down for a nap when they got home. Steve didn't often need a nap, or at least didn't often sleep, but Bucky almost always took one and Steve was young enough that he might take one too, and not just roll around and keep his brother awake. Sam, selfishly, really hoped he slept today, but first he needed to talk to Phil about Tony.

"Hey Phil can we talk a minute." Sam asked. Phil nodded, looking like he'd been expecting it.

They left Wade sitting with the kids who were happily watching Frozen, at Bucky's request, and drinking milk. Sam had taken his boys to see the movie in theaters and Bucky had become particularly attached to it.

"I know this is a lot to ask and I feel bad asking, since you already have so much on your plate, but would you be willing to take Tony." Sam asked nervously.

He really didn't have anything against the baby, he actually thought he was absolutely adorable and just about the sweetest little thing. Sam was mostly worried about how Steve and Bucky would react to having a baby around. He couldn't even consider taking in another Little without talking to them about, but in all honesty, Sam was a little bit worried that if he did bring it up with them, that they would agree, because they thought that's what Sam wanted, even if they didn't want it. Sam did want to take in Tony, he was more than a little worried over just how much he cared about the baby after only a brief amount of time with him. Not to mention, Sam didn't have a clue as to how he could possibly juggle two toddlers and a baby. Three Littles just seemed out of his league, but Phil was used to juggling Littles. In fact, the only reason that Sam didn't even consider sending Tony with Wade, was because of Wade's lack of experience. Yes, Wade had a baby, but he'd only ever had one kid, and he hadn't been a dad all that long. It was only this summer that Wade had become Peter's guardian. Sam doubted his ability to take in another Little, and he'd been a dad for six years. He couldn't possibly leave Tony with someone who had less than six months of experience as a parent. He just couldn't no matter how great of a guy Wade was, or how great he was with Peter. Phil smiled sympathetically at Sam and nodded.

"You know I will, Sam. Tony's delightful, and I'm used to having a house full of Littles. I already talked to May last night. She agreed that we should take Tony, at least until he's Big again, then we can talk to him about whether or not he wants to stay with us or find another Caregiver. May suggested I call Pepper and then take Tony back to the tower, at least for the time being and Pepper said she'll get everything we need. She already knew Tony was a little, but she says he hasn't dropped in years."

Both Caregivers grimaced at that, there was no way that was healthy.

"Hopefully he'll get Big soon and I can get his opinion on the matter. I suspect he won't be about having a Caregiver, but maybe he'll surprise us."

Sam nodded, he was sure Tony would be resistant to the idea, but he couldn't just be Big all the time, and if he was trying to be then that was a sign that something was wrong. Sam didn't know a whole lot about Tony's path, but the whole world had watched the trial on TV when Obadiah Stane was put away for life for facilitating the kidnap and attempted murder of his nephew that had led to Tony being tortured for months in Afghanistan. Sam was pretty sure that it wasn't his uncle that had had Tony registered as a Neutral, though, so he suspected the trauma went back farther than that. Getting Tony to trust them enough to want to be Little on a regular basis, wouldn't happen overnight, and Sam was worried that if he took in Tony now, that he might be upset when he got Big, and Sam might never earn his trust. Not that he could really take in Tony. Well, he could, but Sam would never even consider it without his boys approval. Sam was glad Phil was so willing to step in, though. Phil and May were foster parents, so it wouldn't be the first time that they took in a new Little, so Sam didn't suspect that their Littles would struggle with it. Not to mention that Tony knew Phil better than he knew Sam, and he although he was friends with Steve, their friendship had always been a bit strained, both of them keeping each other at arms lengths, Tony because Steve was a Little, and Steve because of how jealous Bucky got when he spent too much time with Tony.

"Thanks, Phil. Really, thanks. I don't know how you do it."

"Well for starters, none of my Littles want to be Little all that often compared to some Littles, like Bucky for instance. More often than not they're Big and go to work at the agency just like me and May. Except for Bruce, of course, who usually goes to his lab in the tower. Between May and me, we make it work. It helps that Fury is so understanding, and gives us as much time off as we need, usually at least. Yesterday, with Thor's dad, and us having to deal with the clean up and covering it up so his cover didn't get blown, was an exception. It was a total shit show." Phil explained.

Thor was actually the crowned prince of Norway. His dad, King Odin, was attacked during a trip to visit Thor and Loki. No one was supposed to even know he was in the states, and the agency had scrambled to cover it up, because it was important that no one found out the king was injured or where he was hospitalized. Thor's mother was still in Norway and would be able to hold her own until Odin, hopefully, recovered. Sam nodded, understanding just how complicated that situation was.

Sam wasn't sure how to break the news to Tony, but he was glad when Phil offered to do it. He didn't want to tell the poor baby that he couldn't come home with him. As much as Sam wanted to help out, he knew he couldn't. Phil was so much more equipped to help Tony than Sam was and Sam kept trying to remind himself of that, but he couldn't help the lump that formed in his throat when Tony started crying. He knew he made the right decision though when Tony reached out to Steve for comfort and Steve pulled away, backing up until he was next to Sam. Knowing it was for the best didn't keep his eyes from stinging with unshed tears, and when they did roll down his cheeks, Sam wiped them away quickly. Steve glared at the crying baby, and Sam felt like he was breaking. He didn't say anything when Bucky, rather possessively, grabbed on to Steve. Bucky even went as far as to snap a mine at Tony. Phil sent him an admonishing look, but just scooped up the upset baby, taking him out of the room to calm him down, and Sam sucked in a shaky breath.

On the car ride back to their apartment, Sam asked the boys how they felt about Tony being a Little. He wasn't surprised when Bucky quickly said he didn't like baby Tony, but Steve's answer confused him. It took the little boy a couple of minutes to respond. He fidgeted with his blanket from his place in the backseat. When he did answer he was blushing, and refused to look at Sam or Bucky. He just gazed out the window mumbling, "I really like Tony."

Sam furrowed his eyes, completely caught off guard by the unexpected response. Steve hadn't acted like he liked Tony, in fact, Sam was worried that he hated him, so that was the last thing he expected the kid to say. Bucky whined at Steve's answer and kicked his legs unhappily. Steve just flushed harder at the sound, and dutifully kept his gaze on the cars passing them by for the rest of the car ride. Sam could tell Bucky was upset about being ignored, but he didn't know what to do about it. He felt even less certain about everything after hearing Steve's response. He'd have to ask him to clarify later, Sam just hoped that it would all work out okay. He couldn't help the worried glances he kept giving the two boys through the rearview mirror. A part of Sam selfishly wished that Tony wasn't Little, because everything had made so much more sense a day ago. Now Sam felt like he was stepping out on thin glass, hoping that it wouldn't crack beneath his feet.

**Author's Note:**

> This was really hard for me to write, because I really just want them all to be happy, and I feel really bad for baby Tony. I realize it will take time for everything to smooth over though.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and leaving kudos and comments! I really appreciate the support. I hope you guys are enjoying this series, because I'm already working on the next story.
> 
> You can chat with me about the series on my tumblr @buckybeardreams


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